If you have space in your case and a need to move a lot of heat, the 360mm EK-MLC Phoenix might be a good choice. It comes with all the features you expect from EKWB, Vardar fans, quick connect tubing and compatibility with most modern sockets, including ThreadRipper with an extra attachment. You will notice it can include the GPU in the cooling loop with the purchase of additional modules. The investment is somewhat high, NikkTech priced it at 270 Euros for just the CPU and arund 400 Euros if you include the parts to cool your GPU. Is that worth it?

"Following the massive success of the EK-XLC Predator line of AIO liquid coolers EK Waterblocks recently released the EK-MLC Phoenix line and on our test bench today we have the top of the line tri-fan 360 model."

EKWB's L360 2.0 Kit is a ~$250 pre-compiled watercooling kit which includes a EK-Supremacy MX waterblock, EK-CoolStream PE 360mm radiator with three EK-Vardar F3-120mm fans, EK-XRES 100 DDC MX 3.1 PWM pump and reservoir, 2m of tubing plus compression fittings and a container of EK-Ekoolant EVO Clear coolant concentrate, good for 1l of coolant once diluted. All you need to do is assemble the kit and install it in your system. Modders-Inc did just that, the installation process was enjoyable and far more effective than air cooling. If you did plan to add in a GPU waterblock EKWB recommends adding in another radiator which should make your cooling even more effective.

"EKWB has been in watercooling since its meager beginnings in 1999. Every package, every kit, every block advancing the genre of watercooling. As the critical mass for watercooling began to grow, and the knowledge barrier for putting these kits into your system began to fall, companies have been putting together pre-compiled kits of components to make it easier on the …"

Introduction and Technical Specifications

Introduction

Courtesy of EKWB

EK's Supremacy line of CPU waterblocks are well known for their performance and style. Their latest version in this block line, the Supremacy MX, advances their design in the hopes of getting more optimized performance out of a less costly version of their award winning block series. The base Supremacy MX CPU waterblock is a copper and plexi construction using the same jet-impingement and micro-channel design as that used in their previous block versions. The block comes fully assembled from the factory with a single CPU mounting bracket type (in this case, the Intel version). Note that additional CPU mounting kits are available for purchase. With an MSRP of $54.99, the Supremacy MX waterblock offers a compelling purchase in light of its performance potential.

Courtesy of EKWB

Courtesy of EKWB

The block is assembled with hex-head screws going through the copper base plate with rubber grommets ensuring the integrity of the block internals. The top aluminum cover plate is held to the plexi top using short hex-head screws that thread directly into the plexi top plate. The center inlet feeds the micro-channels embedded in the copper base plate through the jet-impingement assembly. The mounting bracket sits in between the top plexi plate and the copper base plate, making any an interesting upgrade if you want to switch out the CPU mount plate to use the block on a different CPU family (like going from Intel to AMD Ryzen for example). The aluminum top plate gives the block a sleek appearance and acts to redirect illumination from the side mounted LEDs (if you choose to use LEDs with the block that is).

Kitguru just tested seven thermal pastes; Arctic Silver 5 and Céramique 2, Cooler Master's MasterGel Pro, Cryorig CP15, EKWB Ectotherm and Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut. They wanted to see what performance difference, if any, existed between them for no matter how effective your cooler is, it can't dissipate heat that is not transferred to it from your CPU. Their test was conducted with a i7-4790K CPU and Cooler Master Hyper 212 LED CPU Cooler and the results show that the incumbent is not necessarily your best choice.

"Following on from our previous articles about fan configuration and static pressure vs airflow fans, today we are looking at thermal paste. Specifically, we are hoping to find out whether or not choosing different types of thermal paste actually makes any difference. To do this, we test 7 products from 6 companies to see how much difference thermal paste really makes."

MSI has just turned 30 and to help you join in the festivities they've released a custom GTX 1080 for purchase. It uses an EK Predator Liquid Cooling Unit, the card is fully covered by a waterblock and a radiator and fan are already attached. The card comes in a wooden box as a keepsake.

The card is still two slots high and the GPU is overclocked somewhat, the boost is 1860 MHz. In addition to the 30th Anniversary and MSI logos on the card, there are of course RGB lights which offer 16.8 million colours controlled by the MSI Gaming App.

While AMD's latest dual-GPU powerhouse comes with a rather beefy-looking liquid cooling system out of the box, the team at EK Water Blocks have nonetheless created their own full-cover block for the Pro Duo, which is now available in a pair of versions.

"Radeon™ has done it again by creating the fastest gaming card in the world. Improving over the Radeon™ R9 295 X2, the Radeon Pro Duo card is faster and uses the 3rd generation GCN architecture featuring asynchronous shaders enables the latest DirectX™ 12 and Vulkan™ titles to deliver amazing 4K and VR gaming experiences. And now EK Water Blocks made sure, the owners can get the best possible liquid cooling solution for the card as well!"

Nickel version (top), Acetal+Nickel version (bottom)

The blocks include a single-slot I/O bracket, which will allow the Pro Duo to fit in many more systems (and allow even more of them to be installed per motherboard!).

"EK-FC Radeon Pro Duo water block features EK unique central inlet split-flow cooling engine with a micro fin design for best possible cooling performance of both GPU cores. The block design also allows flawless operation with reversed water flow without adversely affecting the cooling performance. Moreover, such design offers great hydraulic performance, allowing this product to be used in liquid cooling systems using weaker water pumps.

The base is made of nickel-plated electrolytic copper while the top is made of quality POM Acetal or acrylic (depending on the variant). Screw-in brass standoffs are pre-installed and allow for safe installation procedure."

Suggested pricing is set at 155.95€ for the blocks (approx. $177 US), and they are "readily available for purchase through EK Webshop and Partner Reseller Network".

The guys over at the Tech Report spotted a rather shiny product coming out soon from EKWB. The company is adding a nickel plated memory heat-spreader kit can be used to replace your existing heatspreaders and hook into a RAM waterblock like EKWB's own Monarch X2 to allow you to liquid cool your memory and add it to your custom cooling loop.

These new modules are similar to the existing black modules, but have a nickel plated finish that is particularly shiny (see the photo below). Each kit includes the parts to replace the heatspreaders on two memory modules. Thermal pads are used to facilitate heat transfer from the memory chips to the CNC'ed aluminum heatsinks.

Users can then screw a memory waterblock (EKWB specifies the Monarch X2 Acetel/Nickel) to the top of the replaced memory heat-spreaders. Heat is then transferred from the heatsinks to the block and finally to the water loop.

The new Monarch modules are available now for $34.99. The Monarch X2 waterblock adapter is a further $38.99 if you want to water cool the DRAM. Note that the existing black anodized heatsinks are a bit cheaper at $29.99.

The heatsinks certainly look nice, and while I can see reasons to liquid cool them for aesthetics or to play around with extreme overclocking water cooling your memory using them will get expensive in short order considering you need to buy both kits for every two memory DIMMs (I hope you don't have X99 with all slots populated heh).

If you really want to cool all the things and add a bit of 'bling' to your system look no further!

EKWB has issued a recall for all first-generation Predator 240 and 360 liquid CPU coolers due to risk of leakage. A new version (v1.1) of both self-contained coolers has been introduced to address the issue, and EK will provide one of the new units for those seeking a replacement.

EKWB is also taking responsibility for any component damage that may have resulted from any leaks, offering refunds for defective units (if a replacement is not desired) and affected components.

From EKWB:

"All Revision 1.0 units produced from October 2015 until end of December 2015 are potentially affected by the risk of leakage and in order to prevent any computer component damage, the units need to be replaced. The leakage may occur between copper cold plate and bracket on the water block after it is heated up and pressure rises. Current statistics show that 1 out of 10 units leaks.

We are warning all customers of EK XLC-Predator units to discontinue use of cooling device and contact EKWB for replacement unit or refund. EKWB is taking full responsibility for this issue and will be:

Replacing or refunding all returned units to the customers

Refunding the customer any computer component damage created by a leakage

EKWB has redesigned and released a new version of EK-XLC Predator (Revision 1.1) on the 4th of January 2016 that prevents any leakage under normal working modes. All customers with Revision 1.0 units will be offered a replacement R1.1 unit or a full refund. Revision 1.0 backplate is not compatible with Revision 1.1 backplate!"